Chelsea will reportedly have to spend big if they wish to prise Marco Asensio away from Real Madrid next year as his valuation has been touted.
Despite the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo this past summer, it hasn’t led to the desire impact from the Spaniard as has struggled to be decisive for coach Julen Lopetegui.
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With just one goal and three assists in 11 appearances, it isn’t the level of return expected from the 22-year-old and so it remains to be seen how long he’s given to prove himself at the highest level to deliver consistently until the club consider a change.
According to Don Balon, both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Asensio, but it’s suggested that Real Madrid have insisted that they will only accept an offer worth €120m for their prized asset.
It’s not the first time that the link between Chelsea and Asensio has been made, with The Express noting that he was paired with a move to Stamford Bridge this past summer.
Particularly with Maurizio Sarri now at the helm, it’s perhaps easy to see why he would be linked with a switch given the Italian tactician will look to add more technical quality and creative players to his squad moving forward to play his preferred, possession-based style of football.
Asensio would fit the mould, but it remains to be seen if Chelsea are firstly willing to match that touted price-tag.
As noted by The Guardian, Eden Hazard has made no secret of his desire to play for Real Madrid one day, and so if the Belgian was to depart, then perhaps a swap deal involving Asensio becomes a possibility. How his valuation stacks up against that of Hazard’s though would be an intriguing aspect of such a deal.